Time of Legends: A New Generation
by HKGhost
Summary: Pyrrhia has entered an era that will be sung about, and era that will be told in legends and epics to come. An IceWing travels to stop a prophecy from happening; a prophecy that will shake the Jade Mountain with Thunder and Ice. With his friends at his side, they will face death, danger, and loss at every turn. But with the help of an animus amulet, they may succeed yet. Hopefully.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello, and welcome. I am with [HKG], and you can call me Shadow. Am I a new author? No. I have been here two plus years, have written a 95 thousand plus word story that has 150 plus reviews, and have come here with the intent of make myself known to this archive. I hope you will all enjoy my story, as I am writing both to entertain you and grow in writing. **

**Real quick though, I need to explain something. You see, the books are weird with what they call the dragons paws, so I have to build off what there is. Basically, paw refers to the whole paw. Then they are taking about the actual claws at the end of their fingers or digits, I will say 'talons' or 'claws'. Got that? Paw is the hand, talon or claw are the fingers. Alright, enough babble. So, without further ado:**

Time of Legends

A New Generation

Prologue

The young NightWing thrashed in her sleep, tossing and turning. her whimpers went quiet and unheard, her bared ivory teeth unseen as they flashed in the dark of the room. Her eyes were clenched tightly, almost tight enough for her eyelids to rip. Her claws dug into the pillows that acted as her bed, shredding the fabric and digging small groves into stone floor.

Swimming before her closed eyelids was horror. Death, destruction, battles so fierce and bloody that one would think Armageddon was being fought at that moment. She saw it all. She experienced it all, and there was no way to stop. She tried waking, but it was as if some force held her there, refusing the let the NightWing leave. She whimpered and begged, but the force refused.

At once, her eyes snapped open. The NightWing flung herself away from those cursed cushions and covers, the ones that had held her in their soft and treacherous embrace as she tried to free herself. She almost wanted to bun them in uncharacteristic rage. She couldn't. She had to do something. She was almost possessed. That same force that had held her in her nightmare now forced her to finish what it had started. There was no time to grab any ink or scrolls. She had to use what was available.

Without any hesitation, she dug her talon deep into the soft underside of her left foreleg, right at her elbow. She pulled it down to her wrist, digging a deep bloody trail into her foreleg. Dipping the tip of her talon in it, she began to write on the stone floor. She wrote like a possessed dragon, not pausing 'till she stared morbidly at the four lines beneath her. She covered it with a blanket from her nest of cushions and covers

Finally crying from the pain in her foreleg, she limped over to the doorway of her room. Pulling on the lever caused the circular, flat stone that was the door to roll away and allowed her to leave her room. She quickly found the nearest inkwell and scroll, then made her way back to her room, limping and whimpering, tears dripping down her face. When she returned to her room, she found no one else. She grabbed the lever and pushed it up, which moved the stone door back. She removed the blanket from her bloody verses on the stone, licked the blood from her talon, and transferred those horrid verse to the paper. When she had finished, she looked at the verses, taking time to finally read them.

_Something is coming to shake the earth._

_Something is coming to scorch the ground._

_Jade Mountain will fall beneath thunder and ice,_

_unless the lost City of Night can be found._

**A/N: Short, I know, but it is only a prologue, meant to kinda show you how I write and quickly intro the story. Nothing big of long, just short and simple.**

**Also, so no one says something like 'Armageddon is the end of the world, why did you say 'like it was being fought'. Armageddon is NOT the end of the world. It is a battle between God's army and Satan's army that happens at the end of the world.**

**Please review, otherwise I will have no idea what I am doing right or wrong. I will respond to any reviews in author's note at the end of each chapter, plus I will send the reviewer a PM if I can. Till next time.**

**SOLI DEO GLORIA**


	2. I thought you were being nice

**A/N: Hello again. It has been a bout a week since I last updated, and here we are again. Chapter one, the first chapter in this story. I had a pretty good out come of reviews for the prologue, and I hope to get at least that many for my next chapter. I will be responding to the reviews at the bottom. I hope you enjoy this as much as the prologue.**

Chapter 1: 'I thought you were being nice…'

A young IceWing was sleeping in his own dorm. He drowsily rose, lifting his head and yawning, then clambering off of the large cushion that was his bed. The dorm room was large enough to comfortably fit several normal sized dragons, so the IceWing had room to stretch his silvery wings. He walked over to a desk off to the left wall, stopping at it and staring down at the history essay he had written for Master Web's class. He noticed that he had forgotten to sign his name. Dipping his talon into a nearby inkwell, he quickly wrote his name, 'Polar', at the top of the paper.

Polar was a silvery-blue color, his eyes being dark blue like a cold sea. His wing membranes were silver, and the spines on his neck were dark grey. He was a little bit larger than average, and well toned. His scales were bright, but not so much that one would think him vain; one's first impression of Polar would be that he was a respectable dragon. That would be true.

Polar yawned again, wondering if he should lay down again. He stopped thinking such as a dull, heavy reverberation sounded around him. It was the bell that was used to wake dragonets for the day. Polar's ideas of an extra nap had been dashed, but he didn't care all too much. It was time for school. He reached under his desk, pulling out a satchel and tying it to his haunch. Rolling his head and cracking his neck, he pulled the lever down, opened his door, and headed into the hall.

The hall was large enough to easily allow a few full-grown dragons walk shoulder to shoulder, so it easily held the flood of young dragons. All of them in this dorm were in the ages of nine years to twelve years of age, males and females. That was the only way they organized the students here; not by race, nor gender, but the one thing that everyone had in common: age. The age range for the entire Jade Mountain School was from six to twelve. Polar was only ten years of age, so he wasn't new to this age group. Although he looked, he couldn't see his older brother anywhere.

Polar was greeted by a myriad of colors, sizes, and voices as the students of the Jade Mountain school left their dorms and exchanged greetings and small talk. Polar smiled at the camaraderie as the many species as the 'Wings mingled. NightWings chatted to SkyWings, a Rainwing cuddled under the wing of a MudWing, and a group made of a Sandwing, a Seawing, and a IceWing stood closely and laughed with each other. One could barely believe that it was only fifteen years ago that all of these races were tearing each others throats out. Yes, it had been fifteen years since the end of the Great War, and since Queen Thorn had ascended to the throne of the Sandwings. And many things had changed.

For one, the original Sandwing Palace was turned into a housing for the old princess Blaze. While it was expressed clearly that she was not royal, but was staying there simply because she had most of her family killed before her eyes, she still remained her vain self. Although, from the way she was quiet about herself, and the way she would stare at her reflection and study the scars across her muzzle, she had definitely sobered from her ditzy and original state. Thorn had made a home in the Scorpion's Den, renovating it as well.

"Polar!" The IceWing was shook from his revelry when he heard his name called. He turned, and smiled warmly as a female SkyWing made her way to him. Her shiny bronze scales reflected the torchlight as she approached, brassy wings and underbelly completely the metallic tone of her scales. Pearly white teeth showed as she smiled at him, the pair of ruby-red eyes sitting above them smiling as warmly as her lips. "Good morning." She greeted as she walked by his side. Polar draped a wing over her, pulling her tight in a quick and friendly hug before releasing her.

"Morning, Peregrine." He greeted with a smile. "Get that essay done for Master Webs?"

Peregrine, the SkyWing, nodded. "Yeah, just last night. It took quite a while, but I think It is quite good." She said to him. "Yours?"

Polar shrugged. "It went well; I think it will do well." He said modestly. Peregrine smirked.

"You say that about every assignment, then downplay the praise you get." She said, chuckling. "Take a bit of pride in your work."

"I do take pride in my work." Polar countered. "But not vanity." Peregrine smiled at him again and shook her head.

"Nothing I say will change your mind?" She asked.

"You make humility sound like a bad thing." Polar said with a chuckle.

"That is not what I mean!" She protested, but couldn't help but grin as Polar laughed. "I gotta go to see the Headmistress. See you for lunch?" Peregrine questioned as they reached a fork in the tunnel. One branch led deeper into the mountain, while the other was the path out of the mountain.

"Of course. Remember, we are meeting up in the usual place, then going to meet Firebreather." He said, waving as he turned and left. Peregrine called out to him "I will", then disappeared into the mountain.

≤Ω≥

It was later on in the day, much later, that Peregrine was heading out of the mountain, taking her break for lunch. In her satchel strapped to her side was several mangos and a note that said 'Mandatory Mangos'; it was meant for the librarian as a gift from the Headmistress. Peregrine served as the personal page for the Headmistress, which was only one of the two things that set her apart from her fellow students. The other was that, even though she was a SkyWing, she was kind and soft-spoken, never aggressive and always sympathetic. Interestingly enough, it was this kindness that caused her to be accepted by the Head Mistress.

After a few minutes of walking she had reached the cave that led to the fresh air and sun. She smiled widely, launched out of the mountain and into the sun. She grinned wildly as she felt the warm sun embrace her wide wings and back. She whooped as she let herself fall into a dive, spinning and letting the sun turning her into a comet. She calmed, slowly spreading her wings and gliding towards the place where most of the dragonets met during their free time. It was a large forest clearing that was a little away from the mountain. As she glided, she heard the heavy wing beats of a dragon coming to her. She looked, and saw a large MudWing flying to her. As they crossed paths, the MudWing banked around and flew beside her. She recognized him easily.

"Good afternoon, Master Clay." She said with a nod. The MudWing smiled warmly at her.

"Hi, Peregrine." He said. Clay wasn't quite smart enough to actually teach a subject at the school. However, his caring nature made him perfect to simply look after the students, comfort them, counsel them, be a friend to them, and, if it came down to it, fight for them. He had grown in the last fifteen years, for he was now as fully grown and matured dragon. He towered above the dragonets he watched over, his large size not making him intimidating, but more of a massive, warm blanket to wrap yourself in when you feel sad. He stood taller than the rest of the original Dragonets of Destiny, having also broader shoulders and a longer wing span.. "I made sure that some food was saved for you. But no cows… someone ate all of them." Clay said sheepishly with a goofy but sincere smile. Peregrine smiled at him.

"Thank you very much, Master Clay." Peregrine said with a nod of her head. Clay lead her to the rest of the dragons, stumbling as he landed. Peregrine shot a quick look to his hind leg; there was an obvious chunk of missing flesh there. This made a dip in the middle of his leg that was covered by oddly formed scales. Clay bid her goodbye, having to go and watch after the younger dragonets back at the Jade Mountain, his original destination before being side tracked by her. Peregrine smiled and said good-bye as well, looking for Polar now that she was alone. She wasn't alone for much longer though.

"Hey there, Peregrine." The female SkyWing stiffened slightly, turning to see a male MudWing standing behind her. Four other mudwings, his brothers and sisters, flanked his side. Due to this ones size, it was obvious he was the bigwings of the group.

"Hey, Mire." Peregrine greeted. The MudWing, Mire, flared his nostrils, making it obvious he was smelling for something. The MudWing was one that she was barely acquainted with, but she had seen him around enough times to lean at least his name.

"You got some fruit on you. Can me and my sibs have some?" Mire, the bigwings, asked with a smile that revealed his fangs.

"Sorry," Peregrine said. "But the fruit is for someone else, from the Headmistress herself." She said with a smile, one that would hopefully defuse their hostility. It failed as Mire's siblings fanned out, surrounding her.

"Well, that answer doesn't quite work for us." Mire said as he stepped closer, holding himself high then her. "Just give us the food and nothing… bad, will happen." Peregrine shook her head.

"Sorry, but I can't. They are not mine to give." Peregrine hoped that Mire wouldn't push.

"Well, you have them, so they are yours to give. So, give them to us." Mire said again. Peregrine didn't know what to do. She didn't want to give them fruit, simply because it would lead to them getting in trouble. She didn't really have to choose though.

"Hey!" A familiar looking and sounding IceWing grabbed Mire's tail, yanking him back. Mire yelped in shock growling and turning around to look at the offender. "Now, I say you go away and leave the gal alone." He said with a growl and narrowed eyes.

The IceWing resembled Polar, but his scales were more blue than silver. His eyes were practically chips of ice, they were that pale blue. The spines on the back of his neck were black, and his wing membranes were silvery like Polar's. Unlike Polar, he was clearly taller and more well-built than most IceWings his age, which was eleven years.

"Why the hell do you care?" Mire asked growling.

"Doesn't matter why I care. All that matters is that if you don't leave now," The IceWing's paw shoot out, slapping Mire across the face. "Your 'tough guy' reputation will be completely ruined." He snarled. Mire growled, holding himself high as he stood at his full height, showing himself to be easily taller than the IceWing.

"You, slapped me?" He growled. "That is perhaps one of the mo-" Mire's insult was cut off as the IceWing slapped him again. Mire stared in shock at the IceWing's audacity.

"The what? Weakest? Sissiest?" The IceWing slapped Mire again, but this time his claws dug in to Mire's cheek and left light, bloody streaks. "Doesn't matter if it is weak or not. It is embarrassing. You are getting slapped, right in the face." The IceWing swung his paw to slap Mire. The MudWing, having learned from before, jerked his head back. The IceWing's paw had missed, only to whip around again and slap Mire with his knuckles. That was more painful.

"And there is nothing you can do about it." The IceWing sneered. Mire was smarter than this. The IceWing was trying to bait him into something, although what was unknown. Mire did the only thing he could think of to avoid being baited into further embarrassment. He stopped for second, realizing the trap the IceWing had set. Any form of trying to physically retaliate would be met with the IceWing's cool head, pain, and Mire's embarrassment. So, to avoid such, he would have to leave. He had fallen right into the little ploy. He decided to take the small way out, and simply snorted, walking past the IceWing and beckoning his siblings follow.

"That, Rime, thank you!" Peregrine said to the IceWing, smiling. "I didn't think that you wou-" She was silenced as the IceWing, Rime, slapped her hard across the face.

"Shut up, wench." The IceWing, Rime, said with a cold glare. "Don't bother trying to thank me. You have something I need, and I don't want to get blamed for taking two things." The IceWing said, holding out his paws. Peregrine sighed.

"I thought you were being nice…" She said softly as she reached into her satchel and handed Rime her essay, the same one she had been telling Polar about earlier. Rime snatched it from her.

"That was a stupid thought." Rime said as he snatched the scroll from her, stuffing it in a satchel that was tied to his flank.

"Oh, I see!" Mire yelled back. He had not walked that far away when he had heard the familiar sound of scales slapping against each other.

"Yeah, she is my turf." Rime tossed back.

"Don't want anyone else 'plowing your field?'" Mire mocked, wigglings his hips in a suggestive way. His siblings laughed at the insinuation, and Rime leapt at them. Mire thought he was a fool, quickly shifting his weight to be able to use his superior size to counter Rime's charge. He didn't expect Rime to barrel into his youngest brother. He was frozen in shock and surprise as the IceWing went past him and into his brother, sending the both of them rolling.

Unfortunately for young MudWing, Rime had the obvious size advantage. That, despite his high grades in combat class, Rime had no qualms with taking every dirty and cheap blow he could find. He dug his teeth to his gums into the young MudWing's back, dragging his serrated claws along his back. The young MudWing cried in pain as his scales were pulled off of his body.

Mire was pulled from his reverie at his brother's screams. He grabbed onto Rime and literally threw him several feet around. The other siblings, his other brother and his two sisters, growled as they rushed him. Rime rolled to his feet just as the three reached him. The brother reached Rime first. The IceWing stepped to the side and quickly avoided the charge, ramming his head against his side and shoving him a few feet away. Then both of the sisters tackled Rime to the ground. He was lying on his stomach as they pinned him down, holding his forearms to the ground as they stood painfully on his wings. The brother tried to pin Rime's lower half, but the IceWing kicked out his hind legs and kicked him across the head.

Mire then stomped on Rime's back, causing him to cough. "Why in the three moons would you do that?" Mire threateningly hissed to Rime as he crouched in front of him, whispering to him.

"So you know that when you pick a fight with me, I will do any bloody thing I can to win." With that, he snapped his head forward, digging his fangs into Mire's sensitive snout. The MudWing jerked his head back. "Tend to your brother!" Rime yelled. "Beating me will just get you in as much trouble."

Mire growled. He would love to beat the IceWing senseless, but the moaning of his brother wouldn't let him. He made a motion to his siblings, and they released Rime. Not before kicking him solidly. Mire grabbed his youngest brother, slinging him over his back and snorting at Rime. He and the rest of his siblings flew away, leaving Peregrine staring at the downed IceWing.

As Rime tried to stand, he felt another dragon help him up, and then start to speak.

"Can you try to pick fights you can win?" The dragon asked as he set Rime to his feet, only to be pushed away. Peregrin looked at who was helping Rime, seeing the familiar silvery-blue scales of Polar as he helped the bully of an IceWing. As Rime ignored the question, Polar asked another one.

"You are not foolish enough to turn that in, are you?" When he was shoved away, Polar stood besides Peregrine, facing Rime, who snorted and tossed his head.

"Course not. Gonna use it as a template, as well as use the research on it." Rime said smirking. "You know me better than that. We are both smarter than that." The IceWing turned to leave, but Polar was in front of him before he could.

"Rime, you can't leave with that." Polar said as he held out his paws. "Please, just give me the scroll." Polar begged. Rime snorted pushing past him. "Please do not do this." He begged again as he leapt in front of Rime.

"Why in the three moons do you care?" Rime snarled.

"You're my brother." Polar said pleadingly. "That is the only reason I need."

"You are my younger brother. I should be looking out for you." Rime pointed out. "And inversely, you should leave my business alone." The older of the brother pointed. He held himself above Polar, growling at him. "So get out of my way."

"We have equal responsibilities to each other." Polar countered as he pushed back against Rime. "We must be like iron on iron, sharpening each other." Polar sighed. "I cannot allow to take that scroll. Do you realize what will happen if you are caught? The Headmistress has reached the end of her patience with you. You will be expelled."

"And I will fail my history course if I do not turn in a complete essay. This is the last one of the season; I will not fail." Rime growled.

"I am sorry, but you already have." Rime groaned loudly at the voice of the Headmistress, turning around and saying loudly. "Look Peregrine! Your third _deus ex machina _of the day!"

Of course, he said this as he faced down the Headmistress. She was a rich golden SandWing. Her eyes were a grey-green in contrast to the usual black of most SandWings, and also lacked their poisonous tail barb.

"It happens to be the deformed headmistress, Sunny!"

**A/N: Yeah, not as long as I would like it to be. However, it is still a decent size for the beginning, and ends in a nice place. **

**I want to thank Zilla0128 for being t beta reader, but I am sorry if there were mistakes still.**

**Also, 'Rime' means '****frost formed on cold objects by the rapid freezing of water vapor in cloud or fog'. SO yes, it does relate to ice.**

**Now, usually in the A/Ns at the end, I take the time to respond to reviews that people have left on my chapter. THey can be short or long, it just depends on how I feel and what the Review says. I will only respond to reviews on the prior chapter. However, ANYONE who leaves a review will recieve a PM from me in response. You might not have this time around, mostly because I was busy with school**

_**mysteryreader6626: **_**Yes, it is well written. Like I said, my last story had great reviews and response, so I expect this to be at least some what good. Thank you though.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Secret:<em> It is kinda, but not really. Ii is my interpation of what would happen next, imagining Moon Rising never existed. I might change this story based on how Moon Rising turns out, but I don't think that I will.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Queen Glory of the Rainwings: <em>Yes, I am personally proud of the way she gets her visions, mostly because it is my way of commenting on the fact that all NightWings want them. Guess what? They are horrible.  
><strong>

**I didn't want any one seeing, but now that I think about it, it might have been a good idea. Oh well, I can still work things out. But I wanted no one else because I wanted there to be this sense of loniness and isolation.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>theuone: <strong>_** hope it is. Have you read my prior story? This is gonna be like that. If you want to know what I am talking about, look at my prior story, on my profile It is the long one.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Zila0128: <em>Okay. I like the change, simply because it will make later chapters and scenes that much more unpredictable and dark.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Right, thank you all for reviewing, and good bye. See you next week,and remember to review. <strong>

**SOLI DEO GLORIA**


	3. May I leave? Now?

**A/N: Here we are; chapter 2. Fun fun fun. I hope you all enjoy it. To allwho review last time, thank you very much. Not much to dally on, here is the next chapter.**

Chapter 2: "May I leave? Now?"

"Rime, I think it will be best for you to go to my office." The Headmistress and fully grown Dragonet of Destiny, Sunny, said to the rude IceWing. She resembled her mother in the sense of having a small build, one that she would probably never grow out of. She still kept her characteristic kindness, although it has matured from naive idealism to a comforting, sympathetic, motherly love for most dragons she meets.

"Really? I have to do that?" Rime said with an awed voice, eyes wide. "I thought I was going to the kitchen for extra desserts." Rime's awed voice gave way to scathing sarcasm as he teeth bared and eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?" He snarled, having the audacity to question the princess of the SandWings, one of the dragons that ended a war, and his own Headmistress. He gave none of the respect that she had earned from her feets fifteen years ago, nor any for her positions of authority.

"I came to watch after the you all while Clay was in the mountain." Sunny explained, looking down at Rime with a disappointed face. Her patience had grown considerably ever since she found herself dealing with many, many young dragons. However, Rime's consistently rude and defiant behavior had whittled it to near nothing.

"Really? I thought the oaf would have had to be lead to mountain, otherwise he would be distracted by cows, or get lost due to his stupidity." Rime spat out. "I meant why are you here, getting me in trouble?"

Peregrine covered her mouth to stop from gasping in shock. She had heard rumors of Rime's rudeness, but to see him openly insult one of their caretakers, and in front of the headmistress… she couldn't imagine anyone that stupid or bold. Sunny barely flinched at the insult, having been used to such from her years dealing with Rime.

"Yet he is trusted to handle the younglings, as well as nearly fully grown dragons yourselves, with kindness, gentleness, and fairness." Sunny countered evenly. Usually, a dragonet was almost mature by the age of nine years, when they were no longer considered 'dragonets', but instead 'younglings'. When they have reached the age of twelve years, they are almost completely matured, and generally recognised as adults. It was the main reason that dragons stayed till they were twelve.

"Yes, the one with the child's mind is perfect for looking after children." Rime shot out quickly.

"Rime, leave. You know the way to my office." Sunny said, not wanting to argue with the dragon.

"Right, I have been there enough to have the path memorized." Rime said, turning and walking away. "You know what, I have a question." Rime said, turning around when he had walked far enough away; he had Peregrine's essay in his paw. "Why in hell are you the headmistress, when you are as disfigured and useless as the Librarian?" As a way of salting the wound and then dipping it in alcohol, he bit off a large piece of Peregrine's essay, dropped it on the ground, then ground it into the dirt with his foot as he walked away. Sunny had almost snapped at Rime for such an uncalled for insult to herself and her friend, but held her tongue by literally biting it. She did her best to ignore the metallic taste that flooded her mouth.

Swallowing the blood and saliva, Sunny sighed as she turned to Peregrine, who was staring wide-eyed at her ruined essay. She trotted to it, picking it up in her forepaw, staring dumbly at the ruined essay.

"This was the last assignment of this quarter, before we leave for home." Peregrine said as she stared at the dusty, torn scroll.

"Don't worry, Pera." Sunny said as she gently laid her paw on her shoulders and used Peregrine's nickname. "I will talk with Webs and explain thing to him. You will have more time to finish it." The kindly SandWing informed, smiling down at her. Peregrine sighed sadly.

"That doesn't change the tediousness of repeating my work, nor the fact that it was Polar's brother that did so." The SkyWing said, casting a sideways glance at Polar as he draped a comforting wing over her back.

"I'll help you anyway I can, you know I always will." He said, giving her a comforting pat with his wing. Peregrine cracked a smile at him, mouthing her thanks. "What will happen to Rime?" Polar asked, looking up from Peregrine. While Sunny was taller than both of them, most normal sized dragons their age would be close to her height, just like Peregrine and Polar.

Sunny sighed deeply, knowing what she had to do, and what she had a responsibility to do as the Headmistress. "He will be expelled, and not allowed to return after this quarter." The Jade Mountain school year is made up of four 'quarters'. These quarters are two months of work with a few days off, plus one month completely off. Usually the students return to their homes and spend the time with their families.

"What!?" Polar exclaimed. "No! You can't expel him!" The IceWing said stepping away from Peregrine and in front of Sunny. "Please, Headmistress Sunny, I beg of you. Do not expel him. Let him return again, give him another chance!" Polar pleaded, looking desperately at her.

"He has been given enough chances. From the day the both of you were first enrolled, to this day. He has always been a bully, and has yet to show genuine respect for any of his teachers or those in authority over him. He has expended all of his chances." Sunny explained.

"He is my brother! Please, he cannot be expelled. I will share his punishment, as long as he stays here. I should have been looking after him after all." Polar said, almost on the verge of franticness, so was his desperation for his brother staying with him, and away from the punishment of his parents.

"Polar, that is not necessary. You had nothing to do with this at all." Sunny said.

"What about your creed? Excepting any dragon, despite their heritage, their tribe, their gender or beliefs? Why then do you reject Rime?" Polar challenged, surprising Sunny and Peregrine. Neither knew that Polar's love for his brother was so deep.

"That is true. However, we can only accept people who actually wish to be here. From what have have seen of Rime's actions, that is not his wish." Sunny said, stepping around Polar only to have the IceWing leap in front of her again.

"But what of the friends that he will leave behind? Is he to leave those budding relationships?" Polar asked.

"He forfeited that right when he willingly continued to break almost all of our rules, with no remorse or no recourse."

"He can change! I will help him!"

"Polar, you have to let him go."

Polar sighed, hanging his head and looked defeated. "But he is my brother." He said softly. "We have always been with each other since the days of our hatching. Please, let him stay." Polar begged.

"I am sorry, Polar. You are a good dragon, loving and merciful. But you are not in control, and do not have the responsibilities I have. You can afford to think of mercy for your brother, but I have to think about justice for all the dragonets and dragons here. He will most likely be expelled." Sunny explained, sighing as she walked away. "I have other things that I must do. I am sorry that I have to do this in the first place, but it must be done." Sunny explained, walking away to watch after other younglings.

Sunny had almost reject the offer for this position, knowing that she would have to do things like this. She had only accepted it on the advice of her mother saying it would help her for when she would have to eventually take assume the throne from her mother. Sunny had so far seen exactly what her mother had meant. She had learned how to administer punishments and justice, and then how to sleep the following night. The warming body of Qibli had helped, very much. After Thorn had become queen, she had assigned Qibli to be Sunny's personal bodyguard. Slowly, after years and years bonding, the two began an awkward and romantic relationship. He had recently started sleeping in Sunny's chambers, hoping to calm her.

"Polar? You know that Rime constantly bullied me, right?" Peregrine offered to him as Sunny walked away. "How can you justify that?"

"I can't." Polar said to her. "I can only justify my actions like this; he is my brother. For the longest time, we have been close." The IceWing's wings hung by his side. "I understand that this is what he deserves. That doesn't stop it from upsetting me." Rime said with a sigh.

"I… I don't really blame you…" Peregrine said quietly. "Let's go to the library." She said, smiling at Polar in hopes of cheering him up. Polar, despite himself, knew that his sadness would only upset her. She was more important to him, so he smiled back.

"Yeah," He responded. "Firebreather is waiting for us." Peregrine nodded stepping in front to lead Polar to back to the Library. Since the lunch hour had only recently began, they had plenty of time. The two young dragons flew off, back to the Jade Mountain.

When they arrived, they made their way in and to the library, where Firebreather liked to spend time with her father. Unlike the dorm rooms, the library had no door. It was a large arch-way, and it was supposed to be symbolic; that knowledge was open to and offered to everyone who simply wanted to have it. Also, that knowledge didn't need a door to hide behind. However, the rumor was that it was easiest to have no doors for the sake of the librarian, who had been blinded a long time ago.

Polar and Peregrine walked into the library, and were instantly met with the sight of the librarian. The Librarian was relatively young, around twenty ones years of age. He was a long, tall, and slim NightWing. Around his eyes was a black strip of cloth, hiding his vacant, sightless stare and the burn scars that gave it to him. He was laying on a cushion, a circular table surrounding him; it was close enough to the ground for him to step over, though. His wings were gently brushing over scrolls that were on the table, and ever so often he would scratch a few note sloppy notes on a piece of paper, writing by memory more than sight. However, these scrolls were different from the regular ones. They were on stiff paper, and had small bumps in particular arrangements that allowed the blinded dragon to 'read'. Upon the soft steps of Polar and Peregrine's entrance, as well his personal habit, the librarian's head turned to the newcomers.

"Who's there?" He asked in a soft voice.

"Don't worry Starflight. It's me, Peregrine. Polar is here too." The SkyWing introduced, Polar saying 'hello' as well. Starflight, for that was the librarian, smiled.

"Hello. Are you here for Firebreather? She is in the back, looking at scrolls referring to prophecies." Starflight told them.

"Thank you. Also, I was told by Sunny to give these to you." Peregrine said as she walked up to him, taking the mangoes out of her satchel and placing them in front of Starflight. "It came with a note. I'll read it real quick." Starflight had smelled the mangoes, and smiled.

"Mandatory Mangoes." He said at the same time as Peregrine, causing the SkyWing to tilt her head in confusion.

"How did you know what the not was going to say?" She asked.

"It is an old joke between us Dragons of Destiny." Starflight said with a chuckle. "Would you mind putting them in my satchel?" Peregrine responded positively, placing the mangoes in the satchel that hung from Starflight's neck. "Now, you said Firebreather is in the back," the SkyWing asked. Starflight nodded, motioning in a direction that wasn't the back of the library. Peregrine and Polar kindly ignored the mistake, made their thanks verbally known, and walked to the back.

When they had reached the section of the library that dealt with prophecies, they heard the gentle scratching of notes being written. Entering the aisle, they saw a young, small NightWing. Her scales were a such a dark shade of purple, they resembled black, and her underbelly was a gentle silvery color. The spines along the back of her neck were dark, dark purple. Around her wrist was a thin line of silver scales, that particular pattern specific to her mother, Fatespeaker. She also had the same scales by her eyes.

"Firebreather." Polar said lightly as he walked to his young friend. Firebreather was seven years old, and also on the small size for her age. But she was quite smart. Not many knew it, due to her soft-spoken and shy nature. She looked, starting and fumbling to roll the scroll of her notes up, stuffing it in a satchel that was laying on the ground nearby. Several scrolls were opened around her, with a stack of five more behind her.

"H-hi." She stumbled, rushing about to clean all the scrolls around her. Peregrine picked one up before Firebreather could put it away.

"'Theories on Prophecies: How The Experience Might Feel'?" She said as she read the title, quite surprised at the topic. Picking up another, she read the title aloud. "'Premonitions and Other Sights of the Future'?"

"'NightWings and Their Innate Abilities'? ''The Diamond Mirror: Workings of the Animus Object that Sees the Future'?" Polar had joined Peregrine, picking up two other scrolls while Firebreather stared at her paws like a punished youngling. "Interesting topic?" Polar asked as he smiled kindly at Firebreather.

"Yeah…" She said. "I heard my mom talking about them, so I thought I would look them up." The young NightWing shuffled a little. "May I have them back now?" Polar and Peregrine nodded, handing the scrolls back to her. The topic of Firebreather's reading choices was quickly changing. The attention shifted from Firebreather's forearm. There was a large, white bandage wrapped around it.

"What happened to your forearm?" Peregrine gasped, grabbing her arm and unwrapping the bandage. Firebreather protest, but Peregrine was too big for her to simply push away. When she had unwrapped the bandage,she was greeted by the unwelcome sight of a long, clean slice all the way up Firebreather's forearm. "Where did you get this?" She asked as she started at the wound.

"I-I t-t-tripped." The poor dragonet stuttered. Just like she always did when she tried to lie.

"Was it Rime? Was he bullying you again?" Peregrine questioned softly, Polar staring at his claws, his spines laying flat against his neck and his ears pinned in shame.

"No... I tripped." She insisted, wincing as Peregrine gently examined the cut.

"How did you get this checked without anyone asking questions?" Peregrine asked. The nurses were always great at keeping detailed records of what happened to the students, and how it happened.

"I went the to RainWing nurses at sun high." Firebreather admitted, staring at her paws. "They wanted to get back to their allowed nap, so they fixed my up and sent me off. Can we please just leave it alone? It is clean, no chance of infection... Please?" Firebreather begged, looking up at the two of them. Peregrine shared a look with Polar, the IceWing nodding. Peregrine sighed, and agreed.

"Hey, Firebreather," Polar started, "Peregrine lost an essay. I was going to help her make a new one. Want to join us?" A small smile spread across her face; the little dragonet loved learning about history.

"Of course."

≤Ω≥

It was at least an hour later. Polar and Peregrine thankfully shared a time of studying after lunch, so they were in no trouble. However, Firebreather had to leave for another class she had. At this time, though, Peregrine and Polar had stopped writing the essay. It was finished, so the two of them were relaxing. They in the library's main hub, where Starflight was, on one of the cushions set up for dragons to sit and read on. Despite them being made to comfortably fit one dragon, both of them laid on the same one. Polar was laying on his stomach and chest with his head resting on his paws. Peregrine laid right next to him, allowing her eyes to drift close as he leaned against him. She let out a comfy purr as she felt Polar's wing extend over her back, unconsciously looping her tail around his, she laid her head on top of Polar's neck. The two had actually been laying like this for the better part of the hour.

They were roused when Polar gently pick up his head, stretching his neck and yawning widely. Peregrine copied him, then warmly and instinctively nuzzled his neck with a content purr. Polar smiled sleepily at her, then gently licked the top of her head, causing her to giggle.

"So, have you, uh, have you thought about my… 'offer'?" Polar nervously asked. Peregrine stiffened slightly, but relaxed.

"Polar, I have. I think I have an answer." She said.

"What about the other male you had affections for?" Polar asked.

"The other male doesn't matter anymore." Peregrine said. "After thinking about it, it wouldn't matter either way." Polar's heart beat slightly faster. Was this really happening?

"I don't want to make you chose at all. It is something I never tried to put on you. I, I just… We are so close… I thought we would… work. If I would have known, I would have said nothing." Polar said to her.

"I am glad you did." Peregrine said. "Please, listen to me. You have been my friend since we both arrived here. You have protected me, and supported me, and listened to me. You have been the best friend anyone could have possibly wanted, and the one that I needed." Peregrine took a deep breath, her heart thumping madly. "Polar, I love you. I want to try and have a romantic relationship with you. So, yes. I do accept your offer." Peregrine hoped more than anything that Polar still wanted her.

"Peregrine, I love you." He said to her, leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers. She started slightly, but closed her eyes and leaned into the affection. This was quite a good day, at least for these two.

≤Ω≥

"Tell me, Rime, why do you think that you are here?" Sunny and Rime sat in her office. It was a simple room, near the top of the mountain. There was a skylight, allowing impressive beams of sun to spill into and around the room. The light draped Sunny's shoulders and back, making her resemble a gold statue. There was a cushion that she sat on, a desk in front of her. Behind a divider near the halfway mark of the room was her sleeping area. Rime was sitting on his haunches across from her, his paws planted firmly in front of him

"No reason. No reason what-so-ever. I am on this moons forsaken planet because of some accident. And that is depressing. It means there is no point to my life at all. I am just a bag of flesh, blood, and scales. With no reason for my existence, I have no reason for life. The only difference between me and a speck of dust is nothing. For what am I if not a speck of dust on the skin on the earth? This continent is small, and I am a small on it. Small on small, surrounded by the massiveness known as the sea. And then, the earth itself is surrounded by the sky, which has no limit that we can find."

"Rime, do not mock me with your astronomy and rhetoric." Sunny said. "Besides, your performance in both of those subjects is disappointing, considering your brother being the one of the top students."

"Who do you think is the one that tutors him and debates him on all his ideas when we are supposed to be sleeping?"

"Why do you think that I have called you here, instead of simply expelling you on the spot?" Sunny asked, irritated at being interrupted.

"Oh, that is simple. Your mercy and kindness extend perfectly to the point of stupidity." Rime replied with a smug smile. It took Sunny only a second to form a response.

"Then by your definition, if they extended to the point of practicality, then that would also be the point of nonexistence. My mercy and kindness should be thanked by you, not scorned." Sunny countered, causing Rime to stare at her upsettingly.

"So what now? Are you going to offer me another chance? If I apologize?" Rime mocked.

"... No. However, the answer to any suggestion is clear." Sunny said. "To make things official, you are expelled from the Jade Mountain School. After the end of this quarter, you will not be allowed to return." Sunny said officially. Rime made no movement of being upset at all, blankly staring at you. "I am sorry that you have to leave your friends behind you. Especially Seal… Although her mother disapproves of you two, I always thought you made a great couple."

"Oh, now you bring that aggressive, loud, arrogant, foolish, annoying and self-centered hypocrite of a mother into this?!" Rime snapped. The mention of Seal, easily the best thing that has happened to him so far, and her disapproving mother, caused him to lose his head.

"You can't blame her that much. You have a reputation of being a bully to everyone; even your teachers, who are her friends." Sunny said. "Tsunami doesn't take well to people insulting her friends." Rime settled back down. "I am sorry that I have to separate you from friends. I understand your situation at home."

"So you know I am my father's bastard kid?" Rime asked, growling at her. "And that Polar's mother hates me?"

"From what Polar says, it seems more like she doesn't care about you. If anything, she hates what you stand for." Sunny said. "You are your father's son, looking much more like him than Polar; but you are not her son. You must realize, it hurts her. Hurts in wayas you can't undersstand, as you have no children, nor a mate, and do not know the relationships and love that is shared." Sunny said, looking down at the poor child. "You must understand the pain that she must feel whenever she sees you."

"And that justifies her neglect!?" Rime snapped once more. "I have no solace from her. I come to her in pain, and she offers me ice! Polar goes to her, she offers him herds and medicines and all he could need! By the Moons, when I cut myself, he would cut himself, and we would split whatever she gave him!" Rime fumed.

"Do you expect her to welcome her husband's bastard son with open arms?" Sunny said calmly. "She has to grow to you. You cannot expect her to love you like her own overnight."

"It has been ten years!" Rime exclaimed. "Ten years I am neglected by her!"

"Then maybe this is what is needed to melt her cold heart." Sunny suggested. "Time alone, with you, your father, and your mother. Perhaps that is what is needed for he you finally accept you." Rime sighed as he laid his tail across his forepaws.

"May I leave? Now?" Rime asked. Sunny nodded, watching as the IceWing slunk to the door. He turned his head to her, as if to insult her further. He stopped, looked ahead, and left. It wasn't in him to make any comment.

**A/N: Yes, Rime is that shamelessly rude to Sunny, the nicest one. But that is kinda the point; he is supposed to be a massive jerk face. You are all supposed to hate him. So tell me in the reviews, do you hate Rime yet? And in case you don't know, a bastard child is generally a child that was born to an unmarried girl. In this context, it means that Rime and Polar have the same Father, but Rime's father had 'fun' with another dragoness, and brought back the egg that was Rime.**

**Zilla0128: That is the point. Polar is supposed to have the kind of love that is willing to overlook Rime's bitterness, and continue to love him. And with the reveal of Rime's heritage, then it should make a bit more sense why he wants to help his older half-brother.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Guest: Thank you, and I update Thursdays. Or I will try to. I had these chapters pre-written, so now I have to work on new ones, and I have school.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>theuone: No, but it makes me upset that someone already has these names. I am not changing them, for certain reasons that I will not say. But when they happen, everyone will scream at me. And I will laaaaaaaaugh so loudly.<strong>

**SOLI DEO GLORIA**


	4. A Year Away is Cheap Payment

Chapter Three: All I ask of You.

"Finally!" Groaned the female SeaWing as the bell slowly tolled, marking the end of the classes, for the rest of the day. Her eyes, horns, as wells as the long line of fin-like spines along her neck and back were all a dark, dark blue, close to being black. She had sapphire blue scales, and sky blue wing membranes. The swirling star-burst pattern of glowing stripes on her body glowed green, standing in strong contrast to her scales. The contrast highlights the curves of her body, though. Oddly enough, she had a small, glowing scale by her eye, one that she would flash when flirting, and it gave her quite a jaunty look. Around her neck was of a necklace of pearls, her mother's first piece of jewelry.

The SeaWing couldn't have been happier as she haphazardly stuffed the scrolls in her satchel and bolt out the door. She despised her rhetoric class; so many fancy words and tricks and traps. So many allusions and formalities. Why not state the obvious, say what needs to be said? The SeaWing groaned, remembering her mother's answer.

'I had to learn it, so you do to. If you want to know why, ask your grandmother.' The SeaWing chuckled at the answer, frowning slightly. She missed the days when her and her mother got along like that. They had similar personalities, both being straightforward and fiercely protective. They had many times of laughter and fun, but then, he happened. He had separated their relationship, not on purpose, but because the SeaWing insisted on befriending him. As she walked down the stone halls, she thought about happier memories with her mother, her twin brother, and her father. They had so many happy times, till she had started attending the Jade Mountain. That seemed to be the root of the problem. The SeaWing sighed as she made her way to the Hub.

The hub was the spot in the Jade Mountain where the wide hallways lead to the dorms, classes, professor's offices, and outside to the sun. The Hub was quite large; not big enough to fit all the dragons under the Jade Mountain, but big enough to fit the flood of dragons passing through. There was a large support in the center of the Hub. Some headed to their dorms for rest or work, but most headed outside, to fly with their friends, or to debate another one of their peers about a certain philosophy or theology. She made her way the pillar at the center, standing by it as she waited for her fellows. Eventually the form of the tall, thin SandWing made its presence, slipping in next to her.

"Hey, Mamba." The SeaWing greeted. Mamba, the SandWing, nodded his head in acknowledgement. "You are allowed to speak, you know that, right?" The SeaWing asked sarcastically. Mamba tilted his head and nodded. "I swear, you're the only person I know who can nod sarcastically."

"You are perceiving that the nod is sarcastic, when, in actuality; you are interpreting the physical motion as sarcastic due to your own personality and based off of your own experience." The SeaWing turned around, seeing Rime prowl towards the two of them with a smirk glued to his face. When he got close enough the SeaWing wrapped her tail around her back, causing him to gag in surprise as she jerked his head close to hers. She looked at him sternly for a second, then leaned forward and kissed him. Rime's eyes widened for a second, his ears pricking up and facing forward as his spines rustled and stood up. His eyes quickly shut, and the SeaWing released his neck as she pulled away.

"Nice to see you too, Seal." Rime said, the SeaWing smirking back at him. Rime just happened to be the dragon her mother so disapproved of.

"Didn't see that coming?" She asked her smirk self-assured.

"No, I thought you would be upset at me being late to meet you." Rime admitted with a shrug. "Glad to see that you didn't freak out."

"Well, that is because I haven't gotten upset yet!" Seal said loudly, smacking Rime on the back of his head. "You are late, and you never met me for lunch!" She said angrily. "I actually had something planned! This was supposed to be something big and special; I had planned the food, the spot, and the time! And you didn't even show up!" Seal ranted, growling in his face. "I told you about this prior! We had planned this a week ago! And you didn't show! There was something important, something vital that I had to tell you!"

"You know how sexy you are when you are angry?" Rime deadpanned. "And while I do love looking at you when you are sexy, there is no pleasure of me looking at you when you are genuinely upset; only the need to reconcile any and everything that I have done to you." Rime gently pulled her to him with his wings. "I am as depressed as you that I missed our meeting. That is why I have another one set up right now. Will you join me, Seal?"

Seal tried pushing against his chest, but his stronger wings held her there till she sighed and leaned against him. "Yes, I would like to."

Rime gently and lovingly licked the top of her head. "Good. There is something I need to tell you." Seal nodded, and then asked.

"What about Mamba?" She asked. The tall SandWing motioned for them to leave, shaking his head at her concern.

"I think he will work on his logic class work." Rime said, leading Seal away with his wing over her back.

"I am still upset at you." Seal said as she gently growled at him.

"That will just make tonight a lot more fun." Rime whispered into her ear, nipping it. Seal growled and affectionately bumped her head against Rime's neck.

"You might not get anything tonight." She teased.

"Perhaps not…" Rime said, his voice drifting off.

"Think I am just gonna lift my tail and let you have fun, especially after you stood me up?" Seal said with a smirk.

"Yes, I do. You seem very forgiving when you get antsy." Rime smirked back down at her.

"In all seriousness, don't stand me up." Seal deadpanned

"I will only waste your time when we are with each other." Rime replied with a shrug of his shoulders

"Is that a reference?" The SeaWing peered at him, wondering if he was being flirty or nice.

"No. It is a compliment." Seal was honestly surprised. She decided to be sarcastic instead of thankful.

"Really?! How rare!" Rime stared down at her.

"Yes, so I expect you to not talk a lot today." Seal stared at him upsettingly.

"You are not making me happy."

"I enjoy your company too."

≤Ω≥

Firebreather stared at the scroll in front of her. The young NightWing still stared as she waited for the words to flow. She couldn't. The paper stared at her, its blank, the tawny face staring at her with a blank, mocking expression. She scowled. She should be able to write. She was good enough to. She knew her rhetoric teacher adored her poems and praised their craftiness, as well as clever their wordplay and comparisons. It was always a puzzle to figure out what one meant. To Firebreather's pride and boasting, if she ever had the courage to have pride, she never really had to think. They flowed like honey, sweet to the eyes, thick and calm. Not a single thought, even in her favorite place, under a free overlooking a small glade. Down in the glade were two groups of dragons, two of them were debating each other, while the remaining four sat and watched with passive faces. The five were to act as judges for the two debating dragons, which were a SkyWing and a SeaWing.

Not finding anything coming to her mind, she picked up a scroll, and began to read. After a few lines, she identified as a scroll about Pyrrhia's three gods. Deciding that it was always good to have an understanding of her gods, she decided to read it. Starting at the top, she began to read.

_'Virtus is the god of strength and service, and the patron of both the SandWings and the MudWings. He is the strongest of the three gods, but also the quietest. He is the only male god, and also the lowest among them, as he was used by the other two for the most menial tasks. He never makes any indication of being upset, but goes to his next job with no complaint. In most poems and writing, he is silent, making his will known through signs, allowing his heroes to find out themselves, or physically going to our land to personally direct his heroes. He is known to serve Sapientia and Caelata, both as the one who brings them food, acts as their messenger, and as their bodyguard. Like all the gods, he bears no specific resemblance to any tribe of dragons. Instead, like the other two gods, he appears to be his own special breed of dragon. The difference is that he is clearly larger than both of them. The god is portrayed as the most fatherly of the three, looking after dragons with fierce protection, but not hesitating to punish them with stern judgment when they have done wrong. During the creation of the world, he was the one that laid the foundations of stone, making the planet itself.'_

Firebreather had interesting opinions on Virtus. She respected him, but also pitied him. An all-powerful god, being a servant to two others? And two others that he was stronger than. Shaking her head, she moved to the next god.

_'Caelata is the goddess of the sea and sky, and the matron SeaWings and SkyWings. She is a carefree, playful god, as well as the most merciful. She cares little for the affairs of mortals, preferring to stay in her two domains, frolicking amongst the clouds and waves. She is above Virtus in terms of rank, and is generally using Virtus for various tasks. Some of the old texts and poems show her as being in love with Virtus, although never garnering a reaction from the only male god. She takes the most fun roaming throughout the sky and seas, observing life. She will sometimes, rarely, interfere and save a dragon, of even an animal. Like the others, she is her own special breed of dragon that doesn't resemble any of the other tribes. Among the gods, she is the thinnest, and has the widest wing span and the longest tail and neck. Caelata is known for her mercy and compassion, and is often depicted in poems as a motherly figure, with a love for songs and painting. She is easily the kindest of all the gods. During creation, she filled the world with the air we breathe, and the water we drink. She made the land livable.'_

Firebreather liked Caelata. Herself being a poet, and quite a good musician, she enjoyed to be under this goddess' banner.

_'Sapientia is the goddess of knowledge and animus, the matron of IceWings, NightWings, and RainWings. She is the wisest of the gods, as well as the most cunning, and the one that holds the most power. She is the head god of the three, and is depicted as cool-headed and just. She rarely directly interferes with mortals, unlike the other two. She rarely chooses a hero for any occasion, but prefers to concoct large-scale plans that incorporate many dragons to fulfill her wants. However, she is said to give animus to dragons that she wishes to do her bidding. She communicates with mortals strictly though Virtus, but is generally alone. Due to her non-existent interaction with mortals, she is not physically described, although it is assumed she, like Virtus and Caelata, is her own special breed of dragon. During the creation of the world, she breathed life into everything.'_

Firebreather sighed deeply. Sapientia wasn't her favorite goddess. Too cold, too distant, to manipulative, too smart. Sighing, she decided it was time to return to the school. Packing her scrolls in her satchel and tying it to her side, so it hung against her ribs, she stood and stretched, walking down past the debating dragons.

"Hey, you!" Immediately at the call, Firebreather whipped her head to the voice, her eyes wide and body stiff. She resembled a startled cat in this position, wanting to run, but too surprised to even think about moving. It was the SkyWing that called out to her, motioning with his paw for her to come over. Firebreather stumbled over to him, staring at her paws and not wanting to look up. "You, we need you to break a tie." The SkyWing explained

Firebreather wanted to say that she was busy, and that she wanted to go, or she wasn't in the mood to listen to a debate. All that came out was a small 'Sure' as Firebreather unhappily stumbled even closer. One of the dragons snickered at her, causing the poor NightWing to blush slightly. The SeaWing just tilted her head.

"Soooo, recently, one of Queen Ruby's daughters, Sparrow, has called for the SkyWing Arena to be closed, and then destroyed. The current debate is about whether or not that should happen." The SeaWing explained. "I am for the removal. The SkyWing Arena is based on a barbaric system, and is a cruel form of punishment."

"I am against the removal." The SkyWing said. "The SkyWing Arena is an effective way to punish criminals, keeps our resources for dragons that actually need them, and discourages breaking the laws."

"I think I would have had to hear the full debate." Firebreather managed to stutter out, trying to step away. With her excuse she started walking away. The two dragons started debating again, talking directly to the judges this time.

"Judges, I say that you support my side. After all, my opponent is a SkyWing, all of them are known for their enjoyment of violence. Besides, the SkyWing Arena is just a pit of torture for prisoners." The judges stated to nod, but the SkyWing had an interesting reaction. First, he was enraged by the generalization of his tribe, and then set back by the claim of its cruelty.

Firebreather mentally sighed, upset that the SeaWing was winning. While she agreed with her position, she had used two logical fallacies in her last argument. Nobody seemed to care or notice, so it looked like the SeaWing would win.

"I would suggest that you more closely examine the SeaWing's previous argument." Firebreather nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the voice. Looking up, she nearly squeaked in surprise as she saw the tall, thin SandWing slink in to the glade. It was Mamba, she thought to herself as she blushed in the mere presence of the tall SandWing. He turned to the SeaWing. "Your last claim was a personal attack against your opponent, trying to suggest that because of his tribe of origin, all his arguments are invalid. You then claimed that the SkyWing Arena is a torture arena, despite the fact that has never been mentioned and has nothing to with its origins, and thus committed the straw man fallacy."

The SeaWing looked a bit cowed at having her argument picked apart and called illogical, and the SkyWing seemed puffed up. Before the SkyWing could take advantage of the opportunity, Mamba turned to him.

"However, it would be just as fallacious to completely disregard the SeaWing argument. So before any of you make any further decision, think deeply. Opponents, take a step back and allow the judges to think." He then stepped over to Firebreather, placing a paw on her shoulder and causing the girl to blush even deeper.

"Also, it is best not to include random dragons in your debates, especially since they have no context of the debate and are easily swayable."

Mamba had just explained everything that Firebreather had wanted to say. He turned and walked away, the whole group staring after him. While the six starred with confusion and shock at having a random dragon walk through, Firebreather looked after him with a dreamy stare and a goofy smile. Her back was to the rest of the dragons, so none o them saw her love-stricken face. She walked away slowly, sighing deeply to herself.

Now she wanted to write a poem about love.

≤Ω≥

It was a while before Seal reached where Rime had wanted to take her. There were a few younger dragonets that were playing on that hill, but Rime drove them away, not exactly to Seal's liking. But they were alone, which is what Seal wanted.

Rime had taken her to a grassy hill in the forest, one that would have a nice view of the sky, and the moon rising when the time came. He had brought with him a pillow. A single, small pillow that was for one person. He gave it to Seal, and told her to get comfortable, then flew away. She had lain down on her belly, resting her head on the pillow and resting her eyes. She picked her head up when Rime had returned, holding a deer in his paws and one slung across his shoulders, and he landed beside her and releasing the dead deer. Seal yawned widely, shifting around so she could keep her front half up comfortably.

"Eat." Rime said simply, nudging one of the deer to her. Seal looked at him, smirking slightly.

"Aren't ya' gonna carve it?" She asked. "You don't expect me to dig in like a wolf."

"I... kinda did…" he admitted, dragging the deer back. Seal laid her head back on the pillows, watching Rime work. With his claws, he skinned both of the deer, laying the pelts out, fur on the grass, side by side. Seal observed one of the pelts, admiring the cleanness of the skinning. He hadn't punctured the membrane that was beneath the fur and hide, leaving it intact for him to carve. As he began to cut the meat from the bones, he made sure to pile it onto the pelts, putting the meat and organs on the pelts. After an hour of him carving and Seal simply enjoying his presence, he had completely carved both of the deer and separated the meat. He looked to Seal, seeing that she had another sly grin on her face.

"What about cooking it?" Rime stared at her blankly. "I am a lady. I would rather not have blood all over my face, especially in the company of my boyfriend." Seal said, tilting her nose up with a 'humph'. Rime stared at her; a signature upset looking expression on his face. He dragged the meat laden pelts over to her, and then laid down.

"You are not a lady in bed." He said as he placed his wing over her back, the wing gently stroking her fin-like spine as his claws skewered a strip of meat. Rime's stroking caused Seal to shiver slightly, purring gently.

"You say that like it is a good thing."

"You say it like it is a bad one. Eat." Rime said as he bit the meat he had picked up. "I made sure both of the livers were on your serving." To demonstrate, Rime reached over to the serving of meat in front of her, claws once again skewering a liver that sat atop the pile of meat. He held to her, Seal gently taking the savory organ in her teeth, gently chewing and swallowing her favorite treat.

The two sat and ate, Rime continuing his gentle caressing as he and Seal made conversation. Eventually they started debating things, the air around them filling with rhetoric, logic, and wit as the two lovers clashed minds as holding each other. After a while they had eaten all the meat, they had slowed their debate and simply spoke of any topic that came to their mind. Seal noticed that Rime's silver tinged blue muzzle was covered with blood from their meal. She leaned her head over, licking his muzzle, picking up the blood and cleaning him. Rime, noticing the same about her own sapphire muzzle, began to lick the blood from her muzzle. Slowly, their licking grew from mere cleaning to passion, the two kissing as Rime pushed her to her back, standing over her. Leaning down, he kissed her on the lips, Seal wrapping her forearms around his neck as her vision blackened.

The two lay on their sides, chest pressed together and heaving as they pressed their lips together, Seal gently cooing to Rime as the IceWing stroked her neck with an affectionate paw. As their heads shared the pillow that Rime had brought, Seal looked into Rime's eyes as she opened hers, slowly and lazily, only opening them half-way. His were fully open, with an icy crispness as he examined every scale on her beautiful face. As she examined his face, she realized like always, he was not that attractive.

His face was rough and ragged, like it was made from rough-hewn stone. The scales were scratched and lacked luster like his brother's, and his eyes were intense; too intense. They resembled too much like a hawk staring at the rodent it was about to eat, or the serpent waiting to dig its fangs into your arm and inject its venom. The icy color only enhanced the eerie visage, making it seem more emotionless and sinister His teeth, while they were pearly, shined with a sinister glow instead of a healthy one; she could imagine the blood staining them. His scales were rough and hard, as well as having a near permanent chill to them.

But there was something… There was something about the way he held her that his natural chill warmed her. Something about the way her intense gaze felt more like one that wanted to drink in every detail of his lover. There was a way that his rough hewn face seemed to have a gentle side, like the face of a father who punished his dragonets out of love and not anger. There was also the way he helped her, in his own ways. He never told her that she was right, only wrong. He never told her how she was pretty, only the things that were out-of-place. When she found out what the correct answer was, or told him he was wrong about her looks, his face would split with crooked smirk, and he would smugly say 'That is perfect.' Seal never understood what held them together. They fit together perfectly, and that was not said in a romantic stupor. They were friends, Rime and Seal. They were amazing friends, and even better lovers.

"Rime, There is something I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you earlier, but you weren't there…" Seal said, looking away. Now was the perfect time to tell him what she had been trying to.

"There is something that I need to tell you as well; it is bad news." Rime said with a sigh of his own.

"Then I hope the last hour wasn't supposed to be buttering me up, but I think mine is a bit more-"

"I am being expelled." Rime interrupted. Seal stared at him with an open mouth.

"I, I, we…. You idiot!" She yelled, instantly standing up. "Why would you do that?! You already know that we were tempting fate as it was, but now you have gone and got yourself expelled!"

Rime stood, extending his wings as if to invite her into a hug. Usually this would work, so that Rime could explain to her while calming her and making her more receptive to said calming. This time, she smacked him in the chest with her broad tail. Rime felt the breath leave him, his body folding slightly.

"You're upset." Rime said coldly.

"Hell yes I am upset!" Seal yelled. "I am mad, I am angry, I am enraged!" She yelled again in his face, thumping his chest again with her tail as Rime grunted. "What about the two of us!? You were supposed to be 'good' for the next year at least; we would both be twelve and leave here! Together! It was supposed to be you and me, together!" Seal had started stalking back and forth, growling at him now. "That was that plan! That was supposed to happen! Now you are expelled!? Now I am going to have to wait a whole year before I can see you, if my mother doesn't take me to the SeaWing Palace as soon as she can!" Seal yelled at him again. "I don't know when I will be seeing you next! I have-"

"You think you are the only one who is upset by this?!" Rime barked with bared fangs. "I am the one that is going to have to leave you, and give your mother the smug satisfaction that I really am scum!"

"Don't make it sound like such a hard thing to do!" Seal shouted back at him. "Why are you being expelled in the first place, even?!" Polar stared at the ground.

"I tried to steal someone's essay…" He admitted, causing Seal to slap him hard.

"Why would you do that?! You are more than smart enough to write one yourself!" Seal scolded.

"I didn't have time!"

"Why not?!"

"I was helping Polar!" Rime retaliated. "He couldn't understand a theological concept, and then I realized the logic flaws in one of his written debates, so I had to correct him!"

Seal tried to me upset at him missing his essay, but his reason was quite good. Helping his younger brother grow in knowledge? How mad could one get? A normal dragon wouldn't be that mad. However, Seal was the daughter of the, ironically, fiery Tsunami; so she still got angry.

"Ugh, can't you just let your brother figure things out himself? He is smart enough!"

"But there were flaws! I couldn't let him go out and have those mistakes made!" Rime retaliated.

"I don't care! I don't care about your brother, I don't care about his work, and I don't even care about Polar's freaking mother! I care about you! I want you! With me, beside me, around me!" Seal yelled at him.

"You think I don't want you too?" Rime shot back. "No, I don't want you, I need you!" Rime growled as he stepped toward him. "You are perhaps one of three two good things in my life! I don't want to lose you. I never want to lose you…" Rime said his last sentence slowly, realizing something. He never knew what it meant before, but now the definition was staring him in the face, staring at him with enraged eyes. "I love you."

Seal was completely tossed off of her anger. After all this anger at each other for a simple mistake, those three words were the last thing she expected to hear. This was the first time one of them said it outside of a passion induced stupor. Seal stared at him for a second. Rime stared back, his very mentality hanging from an already unraveling string.

Seal slapped him.

Seal hugged him.

"You idiot." She whispered into his shoulder as she buried her face in the crook of her neck. "You big, blasted idiot. You had to say that? You had to make this all the more painful?" Rime folded his wings over her back. "I already had to spend three months away from you; I somehow missed your stupid smug grin and your stupid wit and your stupid handsome face… Now I just spent two months with you, and you leave me for a year now?" Seal said into his shoulder.

"Yeah, something like that." Rime grunted. "Don't have to moan like you're wounded."

"Shut up." Seal said, muffled. "Just shut up. Shut your cold mouth, or say something nice. This isn't time for jokes" Rime sensed that he was dancing on the edge of a razor, so he simply sighed.

"Seal, one year away from you is cheap payment for a lifetime with you." Seal took a long, shuddering breath.

Rime used placed his claws on her chin, guiding her face so she was looking at him, and kissed her.

For a second, they forgot that he was leaving. And that second was heaven.

**A/N: Well, I don't have much to say now. Sorry for the sappiness of this story, but everyone enjoys a good romance. I hope you enjoy these developments. Before any one questions Firebreather's crush on a dragon four years older then her, and one that is considered an adult while she is still considered a child, I say this: have you ever had a crush on a grown up when you are little? Yeah, it is that. Besides, it is a small age gap. Any ways, back to the reviews and responding to reviews.**

**_Zila0128:_ Well, this time you got the chapter early and looked through it seven times. Any errors rest solely on your shoulders. Heh heh heh...  
><strong>

**I love it to, and I hope this was a nice development of their relationship. And I hope it isn't too cliched.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>guest:<em> Thank you for the advice and point out the grammar. Except next time, point out a few errors, otherwise I have no idea what you are talking about. Also, please try to get an account, so I can PM you and respond to your review.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Secret: <strong>_**I want you to hate Rime. Hate him a lot.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Queen Glory of the RainWings: <strong>_**Next time, please remember to be more specific when you say something like that, otherwise I can only assume you are insulting me.**

**Thank you for complimenting me, though.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>theuone: <strong>_**When I read that you think Rime's heart wil be melted, I laughed. It was funny. You thnk this story is going to end _nicely?_ That they will all smile and have a nice, sunny, hope-filled ending? Heh heh hehhhhhhh...  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>EDIT<span>: Removed last few lines, as they made the chapter too sappy.  
><strong>

**SOLI DEO GLORIA**


	5. Good Duel

**A/N: Hey y'alls. I hope you didn't already forget about my story, because this chapter is late. You see, I was able to get them out at uniform times because I have pre-written them. This one wasn't. I do not know what the update schedule will be from now on, but I will try getting them out in at least two weeks. Anyways, I won't hold you up any more. Also, any and all information about medieval academies comes from www. csupomona .edu**

Chapter 4: Good. Duel.

Polar smiled down at the SandWing dragonet beside him. "Are you sure you understand everything?" He asked her kindly. She had yet to actually enroll in the academy. Instead, the young dragonet was simply looking around the school so she could know what it was like, and was scheduled to enter the school at the beginning of the next quarter. Looking back up at Polar, she smiled shyly. It was his day off, so Polar happily showed her around the school. It had been a few days since Rime was told he was being expelled

"Yeah, except… can you tell me about the classes again? I forgot." She blushed, but Polar smiled warmly.

"That is perfectly fine, dear." Polar said. "I don't mind explaining them again. I don't expect you to get them all in one day, especially since the Jade Mountain School has two more classes that most other schools don't. Do you remember what the _trivium_ and _quadrivium_ are?" Polar asked. The dragonet shook her head.

"The _trivium_ is composed three subjects; Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic. Grammar is the study of words. You will study how words are used to produce effects, different contexts, meanings and expressions. You will be studying poems in this class, and will be expected to grasp how rhythm, different meters and stanza forms influenced the success or failure of poetic expression. Basically, what makes a poem a good poem or a bad one? Hopefully, when you are done here, you will not only be able to use your words as effectively as possible, but also be able to determine the little intricacies of expressions."

The dragonet slowly nodded her head. "I think I get it."

Polar's face smiled warmly at her. "That is great! The next one is Rhetoric, which is the art of persuasion. You will learn about oral techniques and strategies in debate. Remember, you will be using well-crafted language that you have learned prior, so you will be using a lot of fancy talk." Polar explained, and the dragonet nodded again in understanding.

"The last part of the _trivium_ is Logic, which is studying how logic is used in debates, but it is also a teaching method." Polar explained. "You see, argument and debate is part of the learning process here; it gives us the ability to raise questions and further the horizons of our knowledge. It is a major part of what all the students do here. You will see students debating everywhere." Polar explained.

The dragonet nodded again. "What are the last four?" She asked.

"The last six." Polar gently corrected. "They are the _quadrivium_, which is composed of Arithmetic, Astronomy, Geometry, and Music. Arithmetic has to do with the study of theories underlying the study of numbers, and also has some philosophy about the relationships and ratios of numbers." Polar explained, watching the little SandWing's expression to make sure she understood everything.

"After that, it is Astronomy. This one is studying the stars in the sky, but it will also teach you how to tell time based off of stars, and where you are in the world based off of the stars. Plus, there is some philosophy mixed in." Polar explained.

"That sounds cool!" The SandWing said excitedly.

"It is really cool. The next one is Geometry, which is science of measurements. Geometry is another way of determining the ratios between something, which is something else you will be doing in Arithmetic. Also, the concern of ratios also has to do with concepts on how the gods created us. It is math and theology, pretty much." Polar explained.

"The last part of the _quadrivium_ is music." Polar said. "Music is the same basic principle as Arithmetic, but with a different expression. It is the expression of numerical relationships using sound. It is a very serious course, despite its pretty sound. It is important in worshipping our gods. You will learn that they like specific kinds of music."

"Wow." The little SandWing said. "That was a lot of information and exposition. And it was really, really boring." She stated blandly.

"The last two, added subjects are History and Combat. History is studying the recent past, specifically the Great War that took place fifteen years ago. In it, you will also learn the biology of each tribe of dragons, as well as their social structures. It was a big struggle to get the tribes to agree, but with some bargaining and pushing, it was allowed, and the tribes gave their information willingly."

"That must have taken a long time." The SandWing remarked.

"It did; very long. Combat class is supposed to be self-defense. That is what it is said to be. However, Tsunami and Peril, who train the combat class, both have two rules; no rules in a fight, and fighting is never self-defense. It is always, no matter what has happened, aggressive and violent."

"Have you ever been in a fight?" The little dragonet asked as she looked up at Polar with big eyes. The IceWing was caught off guard, but answered truthfully.

"Yes, yes I have."

"What happened?"

"He never walked again. H-he was trying to harm the gal I loved. Trying to… violate her. I lost control. His spine was in my jaw..." Polar admitted slowly

The dragonet was silent, and shocked. She had play-wrestled with this IceWing not a few minutes ago. He had over-dramatically fell and rolled, or easily spun and moved her like she was a bundle of rags during their tussle. His countenance was somber, and eyes low. He then smiled at her.

"Did you believe me?" He asked with bright eyes.

"You were joking?" The SandWing asked a smile worming through her doubt.

"Of course I was joking." Polar said. He was lying. But how could he tell a dragonet about the time he had been violent? Everyone had said he was justified, and it was a sound punishment for the potential rapist. However, Polar's sense of compassion won over his sense of justice. He saw a dragon who would never enjoy the breeze against his face, the feeling of dirt on his paws, or any other experience regarding mobility. Not that it mattered; the dragon was in a dungeon somewhere.

"Do I have to explain the classes again?" Polar asked the SandWing.

"No, I got it this time. But I have one more question. Why do I have to wear this?!" She waved her barbed tail around, glaring at the clear cap around its poisonous tip.

"It so that you don't accidentally poison anyone. The cap is made of a sleeve of intestine, and the end is a thick piece of leather. As you can tell, it has a nice grip." Polar explained.

"Whhhhyyyyyyy?" The SandWing complained.

"So you don't poison anyoooonnnnnnee." Polar replied, leaning down to face her and copying her tone. The SandWing stuck her tongue out at him, and Polar playfully crossed his eyes at her. They giggled, and then the SandWing began to speak,

"Alright, are we done with all this boring exposition, and can we get on to character development and plot development, and actually move on with the dang chapter?" Polar nodded at her question.

The SandWing smiled, and then confidently strutted away. "Where is Sunny?" She asked with reddish cheeks, walking back as she realized she had no idea where she was strutting to. Polar gently laughed at this, then told her to follow him.

Eventually, they made their way to where the SandWing's parents were supposed to be meeting with Sunny. Polar had yet to meet them. Peregrine had left him with the young SandWing, as she had to fetch a series of scrolls for Sunny. He led the dragonet through the Hub, down the hall to Sunny's office. When they arrived and entered the Headmistress's office, Polar found Sunny all alone.

Sunny was lying on her side behind her desk, signing papers, her claws tipped with ink. She looked up as she heard their entrance, and smiled at them. The SandWing dragonet walking forward confidently and hopped on the bigger SandWing hybrid. Sunny giggled and covered her with a wing, drawing the youngling to lie against her belly and rest.

"Ummmm, have I missed something?" Polar asked. Sunny smiled at him.

"Didn't Peregrine tell you? Datura, this little dragonet, is now my daughter. I have adopted her." Sunny announced to him with a smile.

"You better be nice to me; my mama's in a prophecy!" Datura said with a giggle. Polar smiled at her and chuckled.

"You may be dismissed, Polar." Sunny said with a smile as she gently licked Datura's head. Polar smiled at them, then turned and walked away. He walked down the way, not knowing where Peregrine was. Well, he knew where she would be eventually. He didn't have to worry about classes; it was one of their two days off. The other was for religious purposes, and this one was just a day of resting. Since he didn't know where Peregrine was, so he decided to find Firebreather. While she was several years younger than him, he still found her to be pleasant company. Not only that, but she was like his younger sister, and sometimes need protection. Half of the time, it was from his actual brother. Although, it was true that Rime had become much less aggressive and cynical since he and Seal had started courting.

Slowly and leisurely, he strolled along to the library. There was no need to rush, not on a calm day like this. Polar finally made his way to the library, and saw Starflight in his usual position, at his desk, reading his odd blind books and scratching down notes.

"Firebreather is in the back; she has been in the section that contains maps dating to the Burning." Starflight said as he heard Polar's footsteps. "That is Polar, right?"

"Yes, it is me." Polar said. "How did you know?"

"You have a specific scent." Starlight explained."I am finally pinning it down. Kinda sad that it took this long." Polar stated his intrigue, and excused himself to find Firebreather. He found her back where she was yesterday, where scrolls relating to prophecies here. The little dragonet was slumped over, her mouth slightly open as she breathed deeply in her sleep. Polar smiled, and went about cleaning up the mess of scrolls and notes. As he reached to put the maps and notes into Firebreather's satchel, a scroll fell out. As it unrolled, Polar saw that it was something that she had written herself. Thinking it to be one of her poems, he picked it up and began to read. It read;

_Something is coming to shake the earth._

_Something is coming to scorch the ground._

_Jade Mountain will fall beneath thunder and ice,_

_unless the lost City of Night can be found._

Polar stared at the scroll. What had he just read? He looked through the lines, recognizing Firebreather' clawscript. But it was not her style. It was too simple, too formulaic. Too… ominous. It was snatched from his paw with a gasp. Polar looked down, seeing a now awake, wide-eyed Firebreather staring at him.

"Don't read that!" She whispered at him urgently.

"What is it?" Polar asked with a frown. Firebreather didn't hide anything from him. "It is not one of your poems, I know that. You can trust me with anything."

Firebreather squirmed slightly, looking left and right. "Please do not laugh at me?" She asked earnestly. Polar nodded, and Firebreather checked around for anyone. She sighed, and motioned for him to sit. Firebreather took a deep breath, and explained. Had it been anyone else, she would have ran. But this was Polar, her friend.

"Recently, I had this, vivid, terrible dream, when I woke up, I felt like I was possessed, so much so that I cut myself just to write this blasted piece as soon as possible." Firebreather moved her bandaged forearm; bringing the white bandage to attention. "I wrote it down. I had no idea what it was, or what was happening. I thought I was crazy for a little. But then, I started to research, and I found out what happened to me." Firebreather took a deep breath. "Please don't laugh at me. I had a prophecy."

Polar looked at looked at her, tilting his head. "Are you sure?" He asked. "Your mother was known to frequently claim to have prophecies.

"I am not my mother." Firebreather groaned, having expected someone to make that comparison. "I have studied this; I have read every piece that relates to prophecies, and my experience was a prophecy." Firebreather insisted. "You were in it."

Now Polar was even more shocked."What do you mean?" He asked. "How can you be sure? How can you be sure that this is even a real prophecy?"

"I know it is. With every ounce of my being, I have seen what the future is like. It is horrible." Firebreather barely breathed out the last part. Polar looked down at her distraught face, the way her eyes shimmered slightly. She wings twitched as if she was contemplating running from the future. Polar knew his friend. She wouldn't reveal something like this unless she needed to. Otherwise she would be too scared, too afraid of insults and taunting.

"I… I believe you." Polar said. Firebreather looked as shocked as Polar. "I know that you do not joke, and that you know how to be discerning. The question now is this; how am I part of it?" Polar asked now.

"You were in the dream I had." Firebreather said as she recovered from her shock. "In the dream, I saw a battle. It was horrible. The sky was black, and dragons everywhere were dying. But that wasn't all there was. I saw the whole of the land, ravished. I saw dragons enslaved to dragons, children being killed mercilessly; I saw hell on earth. Several dragons stood out in the battle, and throughout the whole vision. They were fighting the darkness wherever they were. One looked like you, but older. Another was a female NightWing, which I believe is me. The third one was a metallic looking SkyWing, and the last was an Animus dragon. I couldn't see her very well, as she was shrouded."

Polar hummed as he processed the information. "Do you have anything else on these dragons, to tell us who they may be?" Polar was still skeptical that he was the one in the prophecy.

"I actually do." Firebreather said. "I can't explain it, but last night, some…force forced me to write this. It is about you." She was ruffling through her satchel as she spoke to him, and finally pulled out a scroll. She handed it to Polar, and it read:

_The Soldier of Irony, a dragon of warmth and ice, of peasantry and nobility,_

_wreathed in the sun and born of cold, and in his heart great grief shall be embossed,_

_for both love of his life and his brother-so-dear, to death they shall be lost,_

_His countenance shall be grim, but his heart shall be pure,_

_So find him and hide in him, and through the night you shall endure_

A lump was in Polar's throat. "A-are you sure this is talking about me?" Polar asked.

"Think about it." Firebreather insisted. "'Of warmth and ice'? You are kind when you need to be and stern when it is called for. And then the next line, 'of peasantry and nobility'? Your father is one of the Queen Glacier's personal guards and advisers, yet your family lives like any other. Plus, the dragon I saw in my vision was an IceWing, one that looked just like an older you. And 'the Soldier of Irony' has to be an IceWing, based off of all the references to ice and cold."

"It can be any other IceWing with a similar personality and linage. Most of the nobles live like peasants in the IceWing Kingdom." Polar tried to explain it away.

"But not all of them look like you." Firebreather countered. "If this force that forces these prophecies on me is smart, then it would make the people who fulfill this prophecy close to me. This is about you."

"That means that Rime and Peregrine will die." Polar said sadly, then gritting his teeth. "I will not let that happen, fate be damned."

"I know how you feel." Firebreather said. "I saw the horrible fate that awaits everyone. I want to prevent it" She sighed and looked at her feet. "But so far, I am alone."

"You have me." Polar said instantly. "I will help you, of course I will." Firebreather smiled up at him.

"I knew you would. That is why I told you. We need to find the Lost City of Night."

≤Ω≥

The female RainWing leaned happily against her MudWing lover's body. The MudWing had his wing out-stretched over his girlfriend. They were lying in her room on a large nest of cushions, a thick blanket covering the both of them. The RainWing yawned widely, and then sleepily licked the MudWing's neck. He stirred as well, looking down at her.

"Wake up." She mumbled. "Come on, get up and out, before one of the professor's comes by." The MudWing mumbled something, leaning over and kissing the RainWing on the lips. The RainWing purred and leaned forward. It was then, in that sincere, blissful moment that the door opened. In the doorway was an IceWing standing awkwardly as he watched the RainWing kiss the MudWing. He didn't even both clearing his throat.

"Vanity, you are supposed to be the sensible of the two of us." He said, not quite seeing the MudWing's face, as the MudWing had his back facing the doorway. The RainWing languidly pulled away from her kiss, while the MudWing leapt to his feet, cursing under his breath at the intrusion.

"Look, pal, you can either leave now, or get crushed. Your choice." The MudWing said as he looked at the IceWing intruder. As he saw the IceWing, his teeth bared. "You, you're that lizard that attacked Bog!" The MudWing yelled.

"Vanity." The IceWing said emotionlessly, looking at the RainWing. "Why are you sleeping with this blundering idiot of a MudWing?" Vanity was still lying on her nest. She stretched out her hind and fore limbs, cracked her neck and yawned, then stood slowly. She meandered in front of the MudWing, and then leaned back against his chest.

"Remember that boyfriend I was telling you about?" She said sleepily. "This is the guy. In case you don't know each other; Mire, this is Rime. Rime, this is Mire."

"We've met." Mire growled at Rime's cold face.

"I can tell. He seems to have left an impression with his signature charm." Vanity said as she nuzzled the bottom of Mire's jaw, then bumped her head against Mire's neck to catch his attention. "Calm down, lover. Rime is a friend of mine."

"Not a friend of mine." Mire grumbled down at her. "He is the one that attacked my brother."

"Perhaps you should have been protecting him. Isn't that your whole point of life? Protecting your siblings?" Rime asked. "Shouldn't you be there now? Instead, you are off indulging in," He paused and looked at his RainWing friend. "Vanity."

Mire growled lowly, then huffed and shouldered past Rime. "Sorry our night got cut short, lover." He said to Vanity. "But I gotta go. See you tomorrow." Mire left, shooting his upset glances at Rime all the way along. Vanity remained her languid self, watching the MudWing walk away.

"There goes my nap." Vanity said as she stood and stretched again. "Come on, you wanted to talk to me about something."

"You're dating him?" Rime asked.

"Yeah. I love him." Vanity replied. "And since the two of us are twelve and this is our last quarter…"

"Don't say it."

"He asked if…"

"Don't you dare say it."

"I could be his mate." Rime stared at her for a second. "Usually, friends are happy about such news." Vanity sleepily observed.

"Don't tell me you said yes." Rime sighed.

"I did." Rime groaned loudly. "Don't act like that. He is the first male that actually loves me, despite my laziness." Rime was slightly surprised at the fire in her voice as sparks of angry red and blacks shot through her scales. They soon faded back to Vanity's signature calming blue. Like most RainWings, she was very often relaxed and calm; although her even more so. Sometimes she was almost thought to be a single color since she was always in a relaxed state. "I want a life with Mire." Vanity said calmly.

Rime shook his head. "I would try saying it is a bad idea. In actuality, it is not. Still that does not mean that I must accept or like it." He stopped for a second. "Well, there is the fact he will have to leave his siblings."

"I didn't expect you to." Vanity said with a slow giggle. "You never approved of any of the males I have seen. Besides, he already discussed this with his siblings. Since this is not a time of war, they do not really need their bigwings."

"And ironically you have supported my every relationship." Rime said. "Don't expect me to do the same."

"Your only relationship was with Seal." Vanity countered. "And the two of you are going to be mates." Rime stiffened.

"You don't know that." Rime said. It was true though. He didn't like the plan as it made their situation too romantic, but he and Seal had planned to elope after they had finished here. What other choices were there? Tsunami was the princess and heir to the SeaWing throne, and from the current state of her mother Coral, it seemed as though she would soon be the queen. She not only did Tsunami have the right as Seal's mother to deny her Rime as a suitor, but also the means to enforce that denial. Seal would often comment on their romantic situation, despite Rime's groaning that Tsunami was completely justified in her beliefs about Rime.

"I am bad for you." Rime would point out to Seal. "I don't care really." She would reply. "I am good for you."

"I do know that." Vanity said calmly, "Seal was so moony-eyed when you two made that plan. Last year was it? Besides, you spend more time in her room then in your own. Also, there is that little 'gift' you left her with a couple months ago." She said as she slid out past Rime. "Now, walk to my sunning spot." She commanded as she meandered down the hall.

"What gift?" Rime asked. He didn't bother to hide things from Vanity, she knew he couldn't. Despite her unassuming temperament, she controlled a web of information that spanned the entire mountain. She never told anyone how she sorted the facts from the rumors. And she didn't plan on telling anyone.

It would ruin her plan.

"You will find out, eventually. She will tell you soon, or tell you in a letter." Vanity explained.

"I thought I left the gift?" Rime asked, not showing his confusion.

"She is thanking you. That simple." Vanity explained.

The two continued on their walk, exiting the mountain in the morning crisp morning sun. Taking flight, they circled up, to the summit of the Jade Mountain. When they had gone a decent way up, the two friends saw their personal resting place. It was a flat area, with a large; smooth, round rock on it that was constantly bathed in sun during the day, and was placed so that the mountain's shadow never covers it. Due the elevation and early morning crispness, it was cold here. Enough that Rime could stay comfortable, preferring cold, but not push Vanity away.

"Anyways, to the big topic on my mind, you were expelled." Vanity said. "Mind telling me why?" Rime stared at her, unamused.

"You already know."

"Yep." Vanity said as she stretched out on the smooth warm rock, mumbling happily as she the sun heated stone warmed her belly; she was sprawled over it in a very lazy, cat-like manner. "Why steal Peregrine's essay through? You are smart enough the write on yourself. And one worthy of being placed in the official history records, at that. Oh wait; you already have three, all under different pennames. What were they? Freeze the IceWing, son of Fjord; Truthbringer the NightWing, son of Starspeaker; and the last one was Cloud the SkyWing, Daughter of Hurricane."

"I thought you had a way of cycling out rumors?" Rime said as he listened to her ridiculous accusation.

"I do." Vanity said as her eyes drifted close. "Don't bother denying it. We both know the truth." Rime grumbled under her breath.

"I don't see how you know. I changed both the way my claw-script looked, as a well as writing styles and thinking styles for each different author." He said glumly. "How could you possibly know?"

"I have my ways." Was Vanity's only response. "Ways which will not be exposed." She added. "Now Rime, tell me, was it worth it?"

Rime sighed. "Yes. If I failed the History class again, my father would have pulled me from the academy, and I wouldn't see Seal anyways." Rime explained.

"But why Peregrine, and not anyone else? Why the Headmistress' pet?"

"I don't like her," Rime said. "She is too, happy. Too optimistic. She would prefer to see everyone as kind, which is just an unrealistic and foolish view. She irks me." Rime admitted. Vanity looked down at him, and decided to not tell him that Peregrine and his brother had begun courting. She had full knowledge that she and Rime were set to spar with each other later on today, and willing didn't say. The duel was making up one that Rime had missed on the say he was expelled, so Peregrine had volunteered. Vanity let a sleepy smile spill across her lips. This would be an interesting afternoon.

≤Ω≥

Peregrine was already in the sparring room. The sparring room was a large area with a domed ceiling. There was a sandy, circular sparing arena. Around the sandy arena were stone sidelines, for spectators or fellow classmates could watch. A few students were around on the sidelines, chatting in low din. Covering Peregrine's paws was what was known as 'talon covers'. They were slips of leather that covered each digit on a dragon's paw, covering their talons so only the tip remained out. More straps of leather attached the individual slips to a strap that would go around the dragon's angle, a strap with an adjustable buckle. These prevented deep cuts, but still allowed the use of claws.

"Are you sure you would rather I not step in your place?" Polar suggested. He was beside his lover, and was gently rubbing her taught shoulders.

"I am fine." She said and smiled at him. Peregrine was very nervous; Rime was known to take cheap and dirty hits, his lack of honor giving him an instant advantage. The more chilling thought was when he was forced to abide in the rule, and managed to defeat his opponent and still deal a lot of pain to that poor, big, twelve year old, bigwings MudWing. "If I just fight around, and submit when he pins me, then everything will be good."

Polar still frowned, and even let out a small whimper. "I do not want you hurt."

Peregrine quickly kissed him. "I will be fine." She assured. Polar still looked uneasy. Any further complaints of his were hushed as Rime entered. Flanking his sides were Mamba, Seal, and Vanity. He looked around the assembled, now quiet crowd, and let out a small growl. He took his place at the other end of the sparring room's arena. His little group found their place on the sidelines, more towards Rime's half of the arena, and placed his on talon-covers. In a few minutes, their instructor, Tsunami arrived. She walked past Rime, but flashed a cocky, triumphant smirk as she passed him.

Peregrine briefed deeply, readying herself for the battle. This was a bad idea. She knew it. Why did she stick to it? She had no idea. She shook herself as Tsunami looked between the duelists.

"You know the rules." She started. "The duel is over when one opponent manages to pin the other for five seconds, has a hold of their opponent's neck, or the other opponent is unable to continue fighting. Since this duel is meant to assess what skills you have learnt since you entered the age group, there will not be allowed to submit for no reason and no fire or ice breath is allowed. Is that understood?" She looked back and forth between the nodding combatants. "Good. Duel." Tsunami quickly made her way off the sand, and turned to see the two dragons pacing around the arena, waiting for one of them to attack first.

Peregrine had expected Rime to leap at her from the get go, but his patient pacing reminded her that he never fought the same way twice. Although, his style was always an aggressive one, and even more so since he was recently expelled. All Peregrine had to do was wait for him to attack, and go on the defensive. Oh, why did she offer herself!

Peregrine's heart beat faster as the two continued to pace around each other. Adrenaline was flowing into her blood. She noticed every little detail of anything, no matter the significance, every step of Rime's paw, every twitch of his eyes as he searched her for any sort of weakness to exploit. She didn't notice that Rime was slowly closing the circle, decreasing the distance between the two.

Rime suddenly turned and crouched, pouncing at Peregrine. She rolled to the side and out of the way, finding her legs coiled beneath as she attempted to pounce at Rime's unprotected flank. Since he was larger than her, she could only hope to knock him over and get a grip around his neck. It was mid-air that she realized her folly. Rime had never moved. He had simply feint the pounce, and stood crouched and ready to intercept her attack. She quickly spread her wings, hoping to alter her direction. The sudden opening of her wings slowed her front, but caused her hind legs to swing forward.

Rime leapt, slamming paws first into Peregrine and knocking her to the ground. Peregrine's breath left her as her back slammed into the ground. A split second later, Rime fell onto her as well, paws falling into her solar plexus, making her gag and yelp as even more air was pushed out of her lungs. He quickly pushed himself up, slamming his paws and weight back onto Peregrine's smaller frame.

Then he got off.

Peregrine rolled to her feet, trying to ignore the burning in her lungs. Rime ran at her side, slamming his shoulder into her ribs and sending her sprawling. Peregrine rolled to her feet, trying to turn to face Rime. He was on her in a second, right in front of her and was swiping for her head. Peregrine reared up on her hind legs, hoping to catch his shoulders and force him to the ground. He was faster, nimbly circling to her side and knocking her hind paws with his tail, causing her to fall onto her front.

Then he stepped away from her.

Peregrine pushed herself to her feet, confused. He could have won twice now, but both times he didn't take the opportunity. She didn't have time to think. Rime was charging at her.

She dodged to the left and spun, leaping on to Rime's back. She gripped his shoulders with her paws, digging the small amount of exposed talons into his shoulders and trying to hold on. She lunged her head forward in an attempt to bite into his neck. Rime reared on his hind legs, allowing himself to fall back and onto Peregrine. He was larger and heavier than her; Peregrine was hurt bad from him falling directly on top of her. He rolled of, purposely landing on her sensitive wing. With a sneer, he dug the exposed part of his talons into her membrane, jerk them back. Peregrine yelped and tried to fight; a struggle was prevented by Rime grabbing her horns with his paws, rearing up and slamming her head into the sand.

"That is enough." Tsunami said. Rime's head jerked up, icy eyes staring at Tsunami. He didn't let go of Peregrine.

Peregrine's head pounded. Her chest felt like it had bees in it. She was sore now, not expected Rime to play with her like this. She didn't notice Rime lift her head up again, and only did when he slammed it into the sandy ground again.

"That is enough!" Tsunami said again, growling. If she could have, she would have wrenched the IceWing and beaten him herself. However, after incidents concerning her and fighting students who she thought were being 'too harsh', she was removed the right of intervention. Essentially, she couldn't do anything. Rime knew this, and raised Peregrine's head off the ground a third time.

This time, instead of him slamming Peregrine's head into the ground, he let go. Not of his own free will, but because Polar had tackled his brother. The two half-brothers rolled around, teeth and talons flashing as Polar fought his older brother. When they had settled, a bleeding Rime was pinned to the ground with Polar's teeth around Rime's neck, a constant growl leaving his throat.

Rime was stunned. His brother never broke the rules. By intervening, Polar had assaulted Rime, and interrupted a duel. Polar stepped off of Rime, glared at him, and then hurried over to Peregrine. The SkyWing looked up in time to see her savior. With a considerable amount of effort, she gave him a sore smile.

"Aren't you going to punish him?" Rime asked, staring at Tsunami.

"For what?" She asked as she smirked. "Polar did nothing wrong at all."

"He tackled me." Rime said as he turned to his feet. "And then drew blood by clawing at me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Tsunami said. "You are dismissed. And you fail, by the way." Tsunami smirked again, and then left. Seal glared at her mother as she walked to Rime, and licked a scratch on his neck, cleaning out the sand. Rime didn't notice, as he was busy watching his brother.

"Come on; let's get you something to help the pain." Polar said as she pulled her onto his back.

"It is not that bad." Peregrine had said. "Just sore." Polar ignored her and continued on his ways, despite her complaints that she could walk.

All he could think of was those lines: both love of his life and his brother-so-dear, to death they shall be lost. What had just happened made that seem all too realistic. He made his mind up. He was part of this prophecy. And it wasn't going to happen.

**A/N: Yep, I had Rime thrash Peregrine. Why? Because he is a jerk you are supposed to hate. Sooooooo, hate him. Anyways, moving on to responding to reviews.**

**Guest: The new chapter is now.**

* * *

><p><strong>Zilla0128: I can't wait for your story and your version to make an appearance Zilla. And that makes sense.<strong>

**Yeah, I changed to last part. if you go back and look, you will see what I changed in t he very end.**

* * *

><p><strong>theuone: I changed it, it is less cheesy.<strong>

**No. There would be no match.**

**It is going to be a pretty big part later on.**

* * *

><p><strong>Queen Glory of the RainWings: Well, hate him now.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>SOLI DEO GLORIA<strong>


End file.
